I started watching Law & Order during the Briscoe and Green days, so I don't know a whole lot about Detective Rey Curtis, Briscoe's former partner from '94-'99. What I do know is that Benjamin Bratt is pulling a Chris Noth and returning to the show that gave him his big break.
While a lot of shows seem to be thriving in cable, in the last couple of days, two series have bitten the dust. TBS dumped The Bill Engvall Show after three seasons, and now A&E Network has canceled The Cleaner, opting not to give the drama series another year. Hmm... does that mean Benjamin Bratt is available to return to Law and Order?
Probably not. Been there, done that, you know. But the TV pro is now unemployed although I doubt that'll be for long. The Cleaner just never really clicked for A&E. It was as intense as the network's hit reality show, Intervention, but it wasn't nearly as compelling.
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You might think that you're watching a variation on Law & Order when the first few minutes of The Good Wife commences. It's not just that Chris Noth is in the scene, looking every bit like Mike Logan. It's more that the scene is ripped from the headlines. Disgraced politician -- Elliot Spitzer, David Vitter, Jim McGreevey -- caught in a sex scandal. His innocent, good wife, standing beside him.
As Alicia Florrick, the wife of a Chicago prosecutor who was caught sucking the toes of prostitutes and forced to resign, Julianna Margulies masters the shell-shocked, distant gaze. Her eyes, in fact, fixate on a stray thread on his suit. But the fog lifts quickly and away from the podium, reality comes in the form of a smack in the face. She delivers the smack, and from that moment, you're on her side. Maybe it was a cheap trick, but it worked.
If a show is good enough to get nominated for an Emmy, why not watch it for hours on end while you forget forever what the sun looks like?
USA Networks has announced that it's reaching around and patting itself enthusiastically on the back for its Emmy nomination collection with a marathon event of Monk, House and Law & Order: SVU. The chain of would-be red carpet winners runs Friday, September 4 through Sunday, September 6 and includes the episodes of each show up for awards.
Monk is all USA's baby and garnered 16 total Emmy nominations including seven nominations and three wins for Tony Shalhoub (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series).
House is Fox and SVU is shared with NBC. But it's one big happy Emmy family for USA.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about Jeff Goldblum's disappointing start on Law and Order: Criminal Intent. My basic point was that he hadn't really found his character yet - that he hadn't gelled with the series - and he wasn't getting any help from poorly written episodes like the atrocious "rock star" opener.
After watching this week's episode, I have to say, everything was much improved, all around. Granted, the poetry was just as bad as the rock music from Goldblum's debut episode; they managed to force Goldblum playing piano into the plot yet again, and the ending confessional was overly dramatic.
But the bad poetry wasn't quite as distracting as the music in the first episode, the piano playing was at least tangentially related to the plot (although still a stretch), and fans of the series in all its forms must have learned to forgive the dramatic confessions years ago as part of the show's style.
When Chris Noth left Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Jeff Goldblum was announced as his replacement, I was kind of excited. I'm a fan of Goldblum's, and he's always entertaining, whether he's a guest on a talk show or doing something decidedly strange like his guest spot on Tim and Eric: Awesome Show, Great Job!
So far, not so good. Last night's episode, which tried to weave together the stories of a washed-up celebrity chef, a hip hop mogul, and a flighty socialite, still didn't provide the punch I was hoping for. It was better than most of his episodes so far - and a good deal better than his first episode. And there are some elements I like; Goldblum's Detective Zach Nichols can't seem to keep from correcting his co-workers, seemingly with no ill will, but irritating them in the process.
Does the return of Law and Order to the weekly NBC lineup strike a "welcome back" chord, or does it mean that the Peacock needs a boost in the ratings from a tried and true player? I think it's the latter, because just weeks into the new season, NBC is floundering in the Nielsens, prompting a change in the schedule.
First, Law and Order is returning this week. On Wednesday, October 29, NBC presents what could be called their crime-time line up -- Knight Rider at 8, Life at 9, and Law and Order at 10.
Clearly, with the pick up earlier this week for Knight Rider, NBC is committed to the show despite the weak ratings. Presenting this solid Wednesday block of cop shows will hopefully translate into better Nielsen numbers.
Spinoffs are nothing new in TV. Some of the biggest hits of all time were spinoffs -- Frasier, Boston Legal, Private Practice, The Jeffersons, The Andy Griffith Show, Rhoda, Maude, CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: CI...the list goes on and on.
The Closer is the top drama on cable in the ratings and has garnered Emmy notice. That kind of success demands replication, and TNT has empowered the brains behind The Closer, creator James Duff to make it happen.
Lost and Found is one of those projects that's been swirling around in the ether for the past couple of years. Chris Levinson penned the one-hour script for NBC a year and a half ago. When the network's old regime passed on the project, it got lost in the shuffle. But now it's been found again, because the network recently gave it the green light.
The story, from Wolf Films and Universal Media Studios, centers on Tessa, a quirky, offbeat female LAPD detective who gets sent to the basement to work on John and Jane Doe cases. That's what happens to cops who butt heads with the higher-ups.
But Levinson says don't expect another slick CSI-type drama. "There are exposed pipes, it's grimy and dingy, and can't be further from the glossy 'CSI' shows."
I'm a huge Law & Orderfan, and as such, I am quite jealous of the Brits today. Not only are they getting their very own Law & Order, called Law & Order: UK, but Battlestar Galactica's Jamie Bamber is set to star. Bamber, who just ended his role as Apollo on the Sci Fi Network series, is playing one of the main detectives, along with fellow Englander, Bradley Walsh.
According to Bamber, L&O's UK edition is just like the American version, but will be about "London judiciary and London cops. It's got the same premise as the original American Law & Order, same everything, just with a UK production company and UK actors."
The series is slated to begin production in August and will air on the UK channel ITV. There's no word as to whether or not it will jump the pond and be available to American audiences, but I'd definitely be interested to see how this long-running series translates overseas.
As I started watching the premiere episode of this season of Burn Notice, I was reminded of one of the things I really love about the show...the scenery. Unlike CSI:Miami, BN is actually shot in Miami and while it's hard to put your finger on why it makes a difference, it's undeniable that a difference is made. It's the same difference you see when you watch Law & Orderand CSI: New Yorkback to back.
At the end of last season it seemed like Michael was on the verge of finding out who burned him and why. Now, most of the time that would mean that the series is one step closer to coming to an end, but fans of the show know better.
The Law and Order actor was charged with three counts of carrying a loaded weapon. All charges come from his May arrest when he was detained by airport security while trying to board a plane. The former police offer of nearly twenty years tried to get by security with a .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol in his briefcase. Farina is looking at up to two and half years in jail and $3,000 in fines if he's convicted on all three misdemeanors. The first count is carrying a weapon in a secured area. The second is possession of a concealed weapon. And the third is possession of a loaded weapon in a public place.
However, the LA county District Attorney is not charging the 64 year-old actor with a felony which would have carried more serious punishment and a larger fine. A spokesman for the DA explained that the office felt a misdemeanor was appropriate.
About the arrest Dennis Farina has said, "It is my own stupidity to find myself in this embarrassing situation."
(S18E18) Oh, boy. Jack McCoy is up to his neck in trouble now. This Law and Order season finale -- number 18 -- was a maze-like story that started with a gold merchant being murdered, wound its way through high-class escort services, and landed at the desk of the governor of New York. Any resemblance between this story and the demise of real-life New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was completely on purpose.
In true Law and Order fashion, the part about the hookers and the Governor was ripped right from the headlines. Unlike reality, though, the fictional governor was even more slimey and reprehensible than Spitzer seemingly. I'll explain it all, and go into more details about how it comes to bear on the characters on L&O after the jump.
I really wish Tom Everett Scott would find a great role he could sink his teeth into for a few years. He's so talented, and yet he keeps ending up in short-lived and dead-end roles.
The actor has signed for a two-episode guest stint on NBC's Law & Order, playing Governor Shalvoy, according to a Hollywood Reporter story. He'll be joined in one of the episodes by Alison Elliott, playing his wife, Rita Shalvoy.
Since breaking onto the Hollywood scene in 1996's That Thing You Do, Scott has floundered in short-lived series like 2002's Philly, playing Kim Delaney's love interest, and 2006's Saved, where he played a troubled paramedic. Most recently, he played Lucy Liu's estranged fiance on Cashmere Mafia.
While a lot of shows seem to be thriving in cable, in the last couple of days, two series have bitten the dust. 
(S01E01)
You might think that you're watching a variation on 
If a show is good enough to get nominated for an Emmy, why not watch it for hours on end while you forget forever what the sun looks like?
A few weeks ago, I wrote about 
When Chris Noth left 
Does 
Spinoffs are nothing new in TV. Some of the biggest hits of all time were spinoffs -- Frasier, Boston Legal, 
Lost and Found is one of those projects that's been swirling around in the ether for the past couple of years. Chris Levinson penned the one-hour script for 
I'm a huge 
As I started watching the premiere episode of this season of Burn Notice, I was reminded of one of the things I really love about the show...the scenery. Unlike 
The Law and Order actor was 
(S18E18) Oh, boy. Jack McCoy is up to his neck in trouble now. This 
I really wish Tom Everett Scott would find a great role he could sink his teeth into for a few years. He's so talented, and yet he keeps ending up in short-lived and dead-end roles. 
Mike Henry and Daryl Hall on a Cleveland Show Thanksgiving
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